Principal's Update
Dear Parents and Carers,
This Tuesday, 21st November, we celebrate the feast of The Presentation Of Mary, our patron saint. This feast refers to Our Lady's presentation at the temple in Jerusalem as a small child. When she was only three years old, Mary was taken to the temple in Jerusalem by her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne. There she was taught, lived with other little girls and was cared for by pious women. Mary was happy to begin serving God in the temple and even as a little child, Mary's life was centred on God. On this feast of the Presentation of Mary, let us ask Mary to look over us and give us guidance as we prepare for the holy season of Advent.
Staffing 2024
This week I had hoped to inform the school community of classroom teaching positions for 2024. However, we are still in the process of finalising positions and this may take another week or two.
In 2024 the following teachers will hold specialist positions and positions of leadership;
- Art- Lynne Richardson
- Music-Tanya Stewart
- Science- Jess Parker
- PE / Sport Leader- Dan Cannon
- Religious Education Leader- Jayne Brumby
- Library- Wendy Walters
- Auslan - Jayne Brumby
- Literacy Leader- Miriam Collins
- Numeracy Leader/AP- Jodie Hassett
- Digital Design Technology- Judy Cleve
- Learning Diversity Leader/EAL support- Kerryn Williams
- Student/Staff Wellbeing Leader/AP- Judy Carr
- Learning and Teaching Leader/AP - Paula Parish
- Speech Therapist- Jo McCartin
We are in a very fortunate position to have such a wealth of knowledge and expertise in our school. Congratulations to these teachers and we look forward to working closely with them in 2024.
Prep orientation sessions
Prep orientation sessions for our 2024 students will be held after school hours on Monday 27th November, Tuesday 28th November and Wednesday 29th November. Information has been sent out informing families of which of these sessions they are invited to attend. The children will be back on the morning of Tuesday 12th December. On this day they will meet their Grade 6 buddies.
Basketball State Finals
On Tuesday our Grade 6 girls’ basketball team represented St. Mary’s in the S.S.V State basketball finals. The tournament was held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre at Albert Park, Melbourne. The day was a wonderful experience for the girls and they should be extremely proud of their efforts, as they were competing against schools with up to 800 students. The girls played 3 games, winning 1 and losing 2. A big thank you to Jade and Janelle for coaching and supporting the girls.
Learning Conversations
Learning Conversations will take place on the 5th and 6th of December. Bookings will be set up on the PAM in the coming week. Please look out for correspondence on Class Dojo for this.
Sick Children
Over the past few weeks we have had quite a few children and staff members away from school with flu and sickness. As we have been informed in the media, we are experiencing another wave of COVID throughout the state. I ask that all parents are vigilant in keeping their children at home if they are feeling unwell, to ensure that infection is not passed on to others.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Michael Mahoney (Principal)